Cuz I Said Sew chronicles the adventures of a seamstress and her software engineer alter ego. Join them as they create spooky goth blouses, fun vintage-inspired dresses, and silly costumes.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

I Have Completely Lost My Mind

I had elaborate plans for Valentine's Day. I made a gift for The Boyfriend and then had another one custom-made, and planned a six-course French meal. All this planning required a fancy dress for the fancy meal. And I somehow got it in my head that it needed to be a red satin strapless gown.

I can't wear strapless anything. I don't have the proper assets for it and I feel I like kind of look ridiculous. But I'm never one to let logic stand in my way!

Through an unimportant but convoluted set of circumstances, we had to move Valentine's up by a week, which ended up leaving me four days to make the gown (start on a Monday and be done by Thursday night). While I also had to go to work and prep for a fancy meal. Hey, I have other fancy dresses I could wear. But I had it in my head that it absolutely had to be the red strapless dress.

The fabric is red bridal satin and the pattern is New Look 6454 (I have previously made a different view in black and purple crepe-back satin). I picked this one partially because I had already done it and knew the tricky bits, and I could save some time by not having to cut a new pattern. I chose bridal satin because it's heavier and less shiny. Like any satin, it is slippery to cut and frays like crazy, so every edge needs to be finished.

Monday, I bought the supplies and cut the fabric. I also pinned the bodice.

Tuesday, I sewed the bodice and lining.

Wednesday, I was starting to panic about finishing. I realized I wouldn't have much of Thursday to work on it because I had to shop for the fancy meal and would need to wash the dress before the big day. So I left work two hours early and put my shoulder to the wheel. I sewed in all of the godets (six of them!) and put the skirt together. I sewed the skirt and bodice together and put in the zipper. I hand-sewed in the bra cups and sewed the bodice lining down. At that point, the only thing I had left to do was hem the dress. I finished the seam and threw it in the laundry basket, thinking I could finish that part at any time (which still hasn't come yet).

And then on Thursday, everything fell apart. I tried the dress on and I looked awful in it. I felt like a little girl playing dress up in mommy's clothes. Even with padded bra cups, I looked even more flat-cheated than usual. Every flabby place looked flabbier. I was so upset, I nearly threw the thing in the trash.

I keep thinking "if I lost ten pounds..." but that is only going to help the flabby parts not look so flabby. And result in my chest being even smaller, so I will still look like a little girl playing dress up.